The Kingdom Keepers: Mischief Night
by mooshymoomoo
Summary: The Keepers head to MK to keep guests safe during the Halloween party. Things go GRAVEly wrong. Pardon my pun.  A/N ch1: Mickey's not so SCARY Halloween Party. I left out a word there, in the very first sentence!
1. Chapter 1

A Kingdom Keepers Mini Story:

Mischief Night

Chapter One

Finn: k guys 2nite is mickeys not so halloween party. Go to sleep in something costume like. Wayne said gardeners have been reporting something goin on main st station. I'll tell jess n Amanda.

Philby: I'm set. What time 4 crossover n where?

Charlene: wait what should I wear? Mom still tries to tuck me in every nite, no way I'll get past her in a costume

Willa: under ur night gown, duh. Just wear a really flowy 1 n she won't notice

Maybeck: idk if that'll work, my observations show her nitegowns r kinda sheer ;)

Charlene: maybeck! U creep!

Finn: dude cut it out. Maybe black sweatpants w/vamp fangs in the pockets? I got fangs u could borrow

Charlene: k, im set.

Finn: k philbs crossovr time... I guess 9? Does that work?

Charlene: yep

Willa: ya

Maybeck: cool

Philby: k arrival location?

Charlene: in front of da castle?

Willa: nah photopass is set up there not a good place to appear outta the blue

Finn: under the tomorrowland sign. It's dark and crowded

Philby: everything is ready to go. C u guys in 1 hr.

Finn put down his phone to go get dressed. Jeans, a black shirt, and a cape and mask. Just like at the last Halloween party, he was set for whatever they had to do- whatever adventure presented itself. Next up: try and get past Mrs. Nash. _Now that will be an adventure. _Finn thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He found the number for the house in the yellow pages, that was easy enough. Now came the tricky part: relaying the message. It was unlikely that Mrs. Nash would let him speak directly to the girls, so he had to find a way of phrasing the message so it wouldn't give anything away, as it was equally likely that Jeannie Puckett would either be the one telling them or eavesdropping...

_Hm... Cross over at 9... party... I got it! Wayne is cross over them missing the party, so they should go to bed before curfew, at 8:30._

He dialed. It was ringing. He braced himself for difficulties.

"Mrs. Nash's house for wayward girls."

"Hi, this is Finn Whitman. I'm a friend of Amanda and Jess. Can-"

"I'm sorry, they aren't allowed calls this late." Her nasal voice said. Finn could tell she wasn't actually sorry.

"Well can you tell them something for me? It's really important. They need to know right now."

"Alright, keep your shirt on. I'll tell them."

"Thank you. You need to say EXACTLY what I'm about to say..."

"I'm listening. Shoot."

"Tell them that Wayne is cross over them missing the party at nine this morning, so they should go to sleep before curfew, at 8:30. They have to be asleep by nine.."

"Your friend Finn said that Wayne is cross over you guys missing a party at nine this morning, so you should go to bed at 8:30 and be asleep by nine. Is that right?"

"Perfect."

"Now what's this about a party? You aren't helping them sneak out or something are you?"

"Don't worry about it, I promise you they aren't leaving the house. They'll know what it means."

"So is that it? Your running a long phone bill."

"Yes, have a-"

"Bye." And she hung up. _Weirdo._ She thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jess and Amanda sat on the bottom bunk next to each other, looking at Jess's diary, trying to decipher any possible meaning from the random sketches and jotted phrases.

"Hey, check out this one." Amanda said excitedly.

"What about it? It's just a guy sitting alone."

"Yeah, but look where it is!"

"A train station?"

"Right! It looks like the one overlooking Main Street."

"So who's the guy then?"

"I don't know! It's your dream!"

"Maybe it's Wayne..." Suddenly there was the noise of someone pounding up the stairs. Then Mrs. Nash burst in, not bothering to knock because none of the rooms had doors.

"You have a message from some boy named Finn." Amanda's eyes lit up.

"Yes?" The girls said in unison.

"He says some other guy named Wayne is cross over you two missing a party at nine this morning. He says you have to go to bed before curfew at 8:30 and be asleep by nine. So get ready for bed, brats!"

"Yes Mrs. Nash." They said robotically. The second she left the room, they turned and began chatting again enthusiastically.

"Wayne is _cross over_ a party at nine..." Jess said, with a look of profound concentration.

"We're crossing over at nine. The party... Oh! Tonight is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!"

"So we should dress accordingly."

"Really Jess? The park will be empty after a while. And why would we be recognized?"

"Oh Amanda. Don't you read the event pamphlets?"

"No... And you do?"

"Yes! The party isn't over until midnight. And of course Jeannie got privileges, she's a kiss up. And there's also the fact that she didn't get her pass pulled for jumping off a boat in 'The Land'..."

" Hey! That was your idea!"

"And I saved our butts," She said Matter-of-factly.

"So we need to be in disguises just in case we run into her. And with our luck, you know we will at some point."

"But we don't have costumes."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Oh contraire..." Jess said as she ran over to the dresser. With a flourish, she swept out two cloaks and masquerade masks. Amanda's eyes went wide in astonishment. Her mouth hung agape, at a complete loss for words. They weren't the cheap kind of masks, like the kind you get at a party store. They were the real thing, with delicate hand painted details, ornate beading and beautiful feathers. The cloaks were equally amazing, made of thick velvet with braided leather cords. Jess's face went bright red with embarrassment. She looked up at Amanda sheepishly, and spoke.

"We have costumes..."

"Yeah, I can see that! Where on Earth did you get them? More importantly, why, and how did you afford them?"

"Well, remember last year's Halloween party? I was still under Maleficent's spell, and she wanted me to look absolutely flirtatious to seduce Finn, so she gave me 3 options. There was the Cruella DeVil look that I wore, and these. I trashed the other one because she singed it with a fireball after the boys escaped, but I grabbed these before we went to the old church. I haven't had any reason to take them out yet. So... you know. Here they are." Amanda still looked shocked. Then she cast a hurried glance at the clock, and alarmingly realized it was 8:20.

"OMG! We gotta get going!" She said, snapped out of her daze by the urgency of the situation. Jeannie was already out at Magic Kingdom, so the girls were allowed the privacy to change without being seen. The masks were hidden inside pockets sewn into the cloaks interiors, and covers were pulled up to hide from Mrs. Nash when she came to check on them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At 8:45, Philby set his computer to cross them over automatically in 15 minutes.

The last of the DHI's crawled into bed and shut their eyes. As they began to drift off to sleep, they felt that familiar tingling sensation. The crossover had begun.

One by one, the 7 teens appeared in Tomorrowland. Once they were all there, Finn gave them a quick briefing of the night's events.

"Alright, first up is the Villain's Mix 'n' Mingle dance. Maleficent escaped with Chernabog, and since she's the host of the dance she could very well replace the cast member like in Fantasmic. We're going to do normal KK rules, 2 groups of 2 and 1 group of 3. Any takers for dance patrol?" Charlene and Jess raised their hands immediately, almost in unison.

"I've seen the show every single year, I've got videos of it on my iPod and I know the dance. I'll definitely go." Charlene said, a bit too enthusiastically. The entire group gave her an odd look.

"Well, before the whole DHI thing, I wanted to be one of Disney's dancers, the ones that perform in stage shows like this and the parades. Halloween also just happens to be my favorite holiday, so I never miss it. My mom takes me every year, in fact she's taking me tomorrow night because she was too tired today."

"So how do you know the whole dance? You kept an eagle eye watch on the villains prancing about in their giant plastic heads?" Maybeck said, with a concerned look on his normally sarcastic face.

"Well FYI, there are dancers other than the characters. 6, to be exact. 3 men and 3 women. They do most of the dancing. If the Overtakers replace themselves in the show, the dancers might figure out something's up, but not until they're onstage. I know the entire routine by heart, and word for word. If there are any slip ups or problems, I'll spot them."

"Wow. Okay, so Jess you were eager." Finn said.

"Remember at Fantasmic when I controlled Maleficant's lift? I sorta peeked into her mind… well, really I looked into her future. If it's really her up onstage I'll sense it."

"Alright then, it's decided. Jess and Charlie keep watch on the stage while the rest of us look for trouble in other areas of the park while all eyes are diverted to the castle." Said Finn, really coming into his authority over the group. They all paired up and set off for the separate parts of the Kingdom.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charlene led Jess on the best route through the crowd and towards the stage, for she knew the best viewing spot.

"From here you can see every part of the stage. If you see anything strange, like a look on the dancers faces, tell me right away." She instructed Jess. The villain's music mix slowly faded out. Lights on the castle dimmed, fog crept out over the stage. The show began with a bell's booming toll, the howl of a wolf, and Maleficent's voice over the speakers.

"Welcome to the Villain Dance Mix and Mingle. It's sure to be a _frightfully_ fun evening. Not having fun would be a _grave _error indeed. NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her eerie laughed boomed across the entire crowd. They were silenced by it, while Charlene and Jess were cracking up because they couldn't get over the corny puns.

"Now the show really begins. Watch her face, makeup, and costume for any differences between the real Maleficent and the walk around character." Charlene whispered so she wouldn't disturb the eerie silence that always settled over the crowd at that part.

The first thing the guests always saw was fog, and lots of it. Then, you could make out a figure walking when the crystal globe of Maleficent's staff lit up as she stepped into a spotlight. Charlene listened intently for changes, mouthing the words as they came.

"Well now, look at all of these pleasant partygoers. And in such festive attire! How incredibly clever!" She paused for a short, malevolent snicker.

" Now, LISTEN WELL!" She threw her arms up, sleeves fluttering.

"The time has come. The moment's here. The black of night draws ever near. Music, lights, a bit of fire to shake the night is our desire. The howl of wolf on this moonlit night calls to us with eerie delight! With your greatest fears this hour mingle in, with my great power, we now BEGIN!" Sparklers flew up and lights flashed, illuminating the faces dancers that had crawled out like animals. Charlene caught a brief puzzled looked on the face of the man closest to the witch, which made her study the woman's face all the more closer.

"Uh, Jess? Do Maleficent's facial prosthetics look more realistic today?" Jess was gazing at the stage, entranced by the show. Charlene shook her to grab her full attention and asked her again.

"Yeah, a little bit. The nose and chin don't look as awkward and fake as they usually do. But maybe they made new ones to fit the actors face better?" She suggested hopefully. But Charlene shook her head in disbelief as the show continued on.

"I doubt it, and look at her makeup! It doesn't look like makeup at all!"

"OHMIGOSH you're right! And look! All the dancers keep glancing at her like they know something's wrong. And the words don't seem lip-synched at all! I can't even feel the boom of the speakers in my chest."

"Are you cold?" Charlene stated instead more than asked, and she grabbed Jess by the arm. The girls ran to a spot with a better view of the witch.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"There's an eerie feeing in the air. You'd better pay attention, you'd better beware. You never know when a ghost will appear, out of the mist and the atmosphere!"

"Noted!" Charlene said sarcastically, which made both girls laugh. Maleficent walked closer to where they were standing.

"She's coming! Disguise on!" Jess said, putting her mask to her face. Charlene pulled her hood up. All of the villains had already come out, including the Evil Queen and Cruella DeVil, who both wore no fake head. They both looked decidedly real to the girls. As Maleficent danced her way to the edge of the stage, she momentarily loomed over the girls. She peered down at them, her brow furrowing a bit at the recognition of Jess's mask. Cold air swept over that section of the audience, which cheered because they thought it was air conditioning. In October…

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Charlene led Jess away from the castle and over to a food and souvenir kiosk.

"Time to raise the alarm." Charlene said while sending out a group text. After it sent, she got a message.

'From: Philby

heads up just saw black beard and co sneaking away from pyro n a bunch of cast members swarming to escort guests out of Pirates'

"What's pyro?" Charlene asked after reading aloud the text.

"Pyrotechnics, like fireworks. As in BIG TROUBLE."

"Great…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Philby, Willa, and Maybeck all stood behind the castle in a clearing of Fantasyland. Closer to the castle was a roped off area, because the show involved some small fireworks and many smoke machines. The pyrotechnics crew had also just set up some of the pyrotechnic boats used in the HalloWishes fireworks show, and they were now floating in the pond off the side of the castle. Most of the pre-show setup was done, so the crew had left.

The three teens had just arrived from Adventureland. There was a massive swarm of golf buggies, and a silent alarm was going off. The cast members they asked refused to tell them more than:

"Just some minor technical difficulties…" But obviously it was more than that. Riders were coming out of the emergency exit, looking excited and nervous at the same time. The Keepers heard guests talking about what happened.

"So all the pirates are gone from the ride?"

"Yeah! How did that happen?"

"They say they don't know. Hey, maybe it's like in the Kingdom Keepers books!"

"That'd be way cool! Hey… Aren't those DHI's over there?" And that was their cue to run. They had also caught the smell of a burnt out fuse mixed with oil. They were on the trail.

"Should we chase after them?" Maybeck whispered.

"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves!" Willa replied.

"Well, we didn't actually see what they were doing. Maybe they were just trying to cause a stir. In fact, just look! They're standing there doing nothing." Philby said. And he was right. They just stood there like mindless… Well, robots! They were hidden from cast members by shadow, it actually seemed like they were playing hide and seek.

Willa looked on in suspicion.

"Well, we know from past experience that they're just mindless drones. They aren't capable of much. A jailbreak is just about the height of my expectations."

"Looks like someone got the wrong date for Mischief night." Maybeck joked.

"Well maybe that's just it!" Philby said.

"Last time we fought them, they weren't really much use to Greeny. Maybe they just wanted to make a little mischief, skip out of their ride for a break from their droning." He continued.

"Everyone needs a break sometime." Willa pointed out.

"But why did they leave during work hours? It's not like the mechanical actors that never leave the ride except for maintenance going suddenly AWOL won't be noticed." Maybeck said.

"And it as been noticed. Evidently." Said Willa.

"Well, if they did do something, we can't do anything about it now. We just have to hope for the best, an worst case scenario do some damage control." Philby ended the conversation, always the voice of logic.

"I wonder what Finn and Amanda are doing?" Willa said, sounding slightly worried. They all got a text.

'From: Finn

Meet us Boo 2 u by the main st candy shop'


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Finn and Amanda waited outside the shop. They strained to see above the crowd, checking every now and then for signs of trouble. Cast members played with kids in the street, as part of the pre show. Giant hula-hoops, jump roping, and bubble blowing were some of the activities. Finn could sense Amanda was getting antsy.

"Where are they? It's been, like, fifteen minutes. It shouldn't take this long to get here, past the castle is practically empty right?" She said, obviously flustered. Finn tried to calm her down.

"Relax. It's only been 5 minutes, and from here to the castle the crowd's pretty thick. The girls were at the castle; the guys and Willa were behind it. It takes a while to get from there to here through a crowd like this."

"Fine. The parade starts in 10 minutes. But if no one's here by the headless horseman, I'm officially freaking out. I don't want another incident like Charlene in DisneyQuest." Finn could tell he hadn't soothed her at all.

"Alright, you're jumpy. Here's my phone, stand right here. I'm getting you jelly beans." Finn said. He hoped her favorite candy would relax her a little.

"Uh-Finn-urgh!" She said in futile protest. She stood there anxiously waiting with the phone. It buzzed with a message.

'From: Charlene

Minor setback- major OT meet n greet. G2g find a way around be there soon tho'

"Some relief!" Amanda said to herself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Finn returned to a group of 4; Amanda, Willa, Philby, and Maybeck. He went into a panic.

"Where are Charlene and Jess? The parade starts in 2 minutes! What happened?" Finn said with alarm.

"Chill, dude. There was a villains meet and greet that they had to find a way around. Charlene said they're down the street." Maybeck retorted.

"Jeez, who's the jumpy one now? I mean, I'm still freaking out because this place is practically an Overtaker convention and we have to separate, but really! And thanks for the candy… I think the sugar is overriding agitation…." All eyes went to Amanda. Clearly, she was right about the sugar. Finn's face went red, but then he saw two heads of blonde hair bobbing towards them.

"Hey! Why the ruffled feathers?" Jess asked.

"Finn freaked out because when he came back from getting me jelly beans to calm me down about everyone not being back yet, everyone was here but you two and then we had to explain to him the text you sent and then you guys showed up! Wow these jelly beans are good… Where's a garbage can?" Amanda slurred.

"Oh my God Amanda! You finished them already? That bag was full of about 250 beans!"

"Well Finn, you totally called it, what can I say? If I'm near jellybeans when I'm nervous I binge. I guess having Mrs. Nash's food my body isn't quite used to all of this sugar."

"Ok then…" Finn said awkwardly. They stood there for a moment, no one quite knowing how to disperse the heavy fog of awkward.

"Hey, the parade's starting. Time to watch for problems." Philby said, breaking the silence.

The parade was going as planned. The DHI's weren't noticing anything suspicious. There were the classic characters, like Mickey and his gang, dressed in different costumes. There were some other movie characters, like Alice and the Hatter. There were various Haunted Mansion and Graveyard themed floats. The gravedigger came through with his dog and lantern. They saw two full cycles of the zombie waltz, but by the time they had seen the sixth cycle of the butlers they had realized something was wrong.

"Philby? Is there a float up ahead that opens up with performers like the Block Party Bash?" Finn inquired.

"Um… I don't know how to put this. No."

"Houston, we have a problem."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They split up again in separate directions to locate cast members, interrogate, swap stories, and decide. Amanda and Finn nearly trampled a cast member that looked oddly familiar.

"Woah woah woah! Are you kids ok? What are you running from?" She said.

"Yeah um well… Why did the parade stop? What's going on?" They asked in turns.

"Well I'm not really supposed to… Do I know you two?" Suddenly Finn realized who she was.

"Is your name Megan?"

"What's going on here?" She whispered.

"We were the kids who got stuck in CyberSpace Mountain when it had a total engine failure. You can tell us the truth, we knew who was behind that the second it happened. We're kind of like secret agents for the parks."

"Oh… They told me what really happened but I thought they were joking…."

"Tell us what's going on."

"Alright… The parade is stopped because the villain's float is completely empty. They found the cast members tied up in their dressing rooms. And there's more. They might have to close the park early. They say it's not safe for people to be here tonight."

"Why?"

"I'm just working concessions today. I don't get the important information, but we're like a family here. Word travels fast" Megan began sweating a little. She looked extremely anxious, like she felt she was being watched. She realized from the teens serious looks that she had to continue.

"Some of the dancers from the villains show complained about the dressing rooms being too cold. And they said Loretta was acting strange. Like, really weird."

"Who's she?"

"The cast member who plays Maleficent in all of the parades, shows, and meet 'n' greets. But her makeup seemed different this show..."

Amanda and Finn faced each other. Amanda was sickly pale and quivering. Finn was equally as nervous, because unlike all the other times the Overtakers had messed around, the park was going to be full of guests for another hour or so. And it seemed like they were just warming up.

"Oh... em... gee..." Amanda murmured.

"This is going to be a long night." Finn said, peering above the crowd to look for the others.

"I've got a bad feeling..." Amanda said. Finn sent out yet another group text.

'From: Finn

'serious trouble afoot. Meet doors 2 cosmic rays'

Amanda and Jess went to get food because they could safely enter a crowd without being recognized, while the others waited anxiously for them at 2 tables pulled together. When they came back balancing numerous orders of fries, they began discussing the night's events feverishly.

"OK, so we definitely know there are Overtakers here and, they mean business." Finn announced.

"We got that, Captain Obvious." Maybeck said, ever the optimist.

"Jeez. I was just starting the conversation."

"Well we don't have time for formalities or whatever. We gotta figure out our next move and we gotta do it now."

"Fine, fair point. Alright Professor, what's our next move?" Finn asked.

"Well, we saw the pirates near the fireworks setup. We don't know if the actually did anything, but that's a lot of ordnance. We have to go watch HalloWishes and expect something to be wrong so we can pinpoint it and try to eradicate the source."

"Um..."

"Alright, so we watch the fireworks for anything suspicious and chase down whoever caused it." Strategic Willa said.

"In English, yes."

"So why don't we bring our food to the outdoors eating area? There's a perfect view of the fireworks from there." Said Charlene. They each took a plate and made their way through the glass doors. Maybeck found two clean tables and dragged one over. Philby checked his watch, and then looked through a pamphlet about the night's events.

"The fireworks start in 15 minutes. All that's left now is to wait." Finn noticed a green tinge to Amanda's face.

"Amanda, are you okay?"

"No. Jelly Beans and a burger are not a good combo, even though I technically don't have a stomach. What if I puke in my bed at Mrs. Nash's?"

"Then you'll wake up smelly." Jess said, trying to diffuse the tension.

"I'm gonna puke. Like, now." With that, she took off for the bathroom at a run.

The other girls all jumped up to follow her. When they reached the bathroom, they were greeted by a foul stench and the disgusting sound of a girl vomiting. Willa looked as if she were also about to puke.

"Oh gosh…. I can't stand the smell. Or sound. I have to go wait outside." She said, while covering her nose.

"Well we have to pair up, can you wait a minute while I check on her?" Jess pleaded.

"Fine but hurry up or it'll smell two times worse in here!" She said hurriedly, trying to breathe in as little as possible. Charlene seemed to be the only one unfazed as she was rinsing out the fangs Finn had lent her.

"Just go, I'll help her. We don't want anyone else to get sick here." She said. Jess nodded, took Willa by the arm, and left the bathroom as fast as possible. Charlene went over to the stall Amanda was hunched over in.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Flat out nasty. And my stomach still kinda hurts."

"Alright, I'll text the others. Rinse your mouth out, we're going to the first aid area to get you some Tums."

'From: Charlene

'manda still feels kinda funky. We r gonna get tums 1st aid. Brb'

The two girls walked out of the restroom together. When they got out the door, the sky erupted into a sea of fire. Not like fireworks, but more like fireworks gone horribly, horribly wrong. It wasn't localized to just around the castle like a scheduled show, there were flares shooting up above the entire park.

Parents gathered up their children, shouting to each other and all trying to grab a cast member. The children looked up in awe, thinking it was part of the whole event. In a matter of moments, the park's normal feel of an organized type of confusion exploded into sheer anarchy. In short, it was a ghastly mess. It was such an overwhelming display of mayhem that they girls didn't notice the spiders crawling all around them. Above the havoc, the Halloween Trick-or-Treater's version of Oogie Boogie's song was broadcast through all the speakers.

Philby's head snapped up from the old map of the park he was studying the second he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. The sky had exploded into a crazy inferno, which grabbed everyone's attention. The cast members behind the counter indoors were no exception, emergency walkie talkies were whipped out but a second later.

"Woah. That's a bit excessive for a Halloween party." Finn said. Maybeck and Philby both gawked at him. He looked puzzled for a moment, then understood that this wasn't supposed to happen.

"That's a problem." Maybeck said, right as Willa and Jess came running back. "Where are the other two?" He asked.

"The smell..." Willa said with a shiver and a small gagging sound.

"She couldn't take it, she was gonna hurl too. But it's okay, Charlene's with her." Jess clarified. Their phones buzzed with Charlene's message. "And apparently they won't be back for a few minutes."

"Uh oh." Philby exclaimed. The group gave him a puzzled look. "What if lighting the sky on fire while two group members were alone wasn't a coincidence?" They all shared a terrified look.

"We gotta go look for them!" Willa pleaded.

"It's far too risky. It's a madhouse out there," Finn answered, the fireworks still raining down. "There are people everywhere. If we were to be separated for a split second, we could all be stuck in SBS."

"So what now?" Jess asked.

"We just gotta wait. We can't leave until it dies down out there. It's crazy." Maybeck said. The girls had no other options, they had been trumped. The decision was made, the group had to wait it out. When they were planning on watching for errors and tracking them down, nothing on this scale was even close to what they had imagined.


	12. Chapter 12

**Edit:** I realize upon reading this on the actual website that in some of their texts to eachother that there appear to be words missing. You see, when i was typing it in word i used the 'at' symbol. The website, however, blocks certain punctuation like at symbols and greater than or less than arrows. That's why 'less than three' hearts end up as just a 3. I'm sorry. Meh. I can't control that.

Thanks for all the kind reviews and favorites and subscriptions.

Oh, one more thing.

I UPDATED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIKE SEVEN MONTHS! WOOT!

Chapter 12

Coming out of the bathroom, Charlene jerked on Amanda's arm, stopping short. She felt something crawling up her leg. She felt a LOT of somethings crawling up her leg.

"I'm not looking down... GAH! I can't stand bugs!" She yelped, going pale and shaking like a leaf.

"I think I'm gonna puke again!" Amanda said in response, feeling them too and diving for some secluded bushes and dragging Charlene with her.

After the second bout, Amanda rinsed her mouth out with water from a garden hose that was left out, trickling just enough for her to get a good mouthful. Still on her hands and knees, she let out a relieved sigh.

It had been a mere 20 seconds since the sky had turned into a broiler. The masses were in hysterics, clearly picking up that something was wrong. Preoccupied with the current situation, neither girl had really noticed. But upon tilting her head back for some fresh air to rid her nostrils of the oh-so-pleasant aroma of stomach acid, the first thing Charlene noticed was that she had been temporarily blinded by the curious elevated inferno she was now facing. The second thing she noticed was that there were, again, more spiders and creepy crawlies and whatnot milling about on her calves. The third thing she noticed was a bony, wrinkled hand with a few gaudy rings coming across her mouth and yanking her behind a tree before she fully realized what was happening. The fiery sky coupled with her attacker had utterly overwhelmed her so much that she couldn't utter a word. As soon as she was out of sight of the raving park guests, the someone who had grabbed her pulled her into their chest. She felt a pointy nose nudge into her hair. Her apparently male attacker inhaled. Charlene was freaking out. She couldn't see whom the hand belonged to, but she had one guess. And it totally skeeved her out.

"Mmm..." he said, taking another whiff of her shampoo. "I love apples."

She tried to let out a scream, but it was muffled further as the hand clamped her mouth shut fully.

Amanda felt much better now. Clearly all the sugar coupled with nerves had set her stomach totally out of whack. Now she feared she was hallucinating, for the sky was like a giant fireplace. People were running everywhere. Where was she, really? She thought she was with the Keepers, but this was more like a scene from a crazy dream. She was asleep either way, so both options we extremely possibly and furthermore likely. That didn't exactly narrow it down much... Maybe she was beginning to have future telling dreams like Jess.

As she sat there dumbly in the bushes, next to a pool of vomit, staring at the sky and reasoning with herself, Jess realized that Charlene was no longer next to her. She thought she heard a muffled something, but with all the insanity of the crowds she dismissed it. She then realized that her masquerade mask had ended up a few feet farther into the greenery. She had probably flung it in her rush to empty her stomach contents. As she stood up to go retrieve it, a hand was firmly clamped across her mouth. At least it _seemed_ like a hand. If hands were made of burlap. Whatever it was scratched her a little. She tried to fight, but what felt like... cobwebs, perhaps?... quickly enveloped her in a sticky net. She then realized that her mask had been moved. On purpose. And she had walked into a trap. And she was now being dragged against her will through a chainlink fence on the edge of Tomorrowland.

Wow. Amanda really felt stupid. She had watched enough horror movies to know what NOT to do when you're in the woods and your buddy randomly disappears. She often laughed till she cried, making fun of the girls in the movies for being so stupid. Shouldn't someone in this world have common sense?

When your friend disappears leaving you alone in some dark woods, you NEVER go after whatever is conveniently right in front of you yet simultaneously leading to a dark area.

Now she understood that confusion defies logic and is proportionately inverse to common sense. She could totally see how girls went into their basements in their underwear, not thinking that anything could possibly go wrong. Definitely.

Oh well. Not much she could now. Except panic. A little controlled panic was totally doable.


	13. Update: Temporary Hiatus

UPDATE: I'm sorry guys, I just have a lot on my plate right now. I'm putting this story on a temporary hiatus.

I will definitely be finishing it in the future, but every time I try to work on it I get writers block.

This is probably because I've gone about 3 months without reading anything Kingdom Keepers related. And because **I STILL DON'T HAVE SHELL GAME D: **

So yeah. Because I actually made it official now, I'll probably get great ideas and be able to finish it XD

But it's really mainly when you have an idea for a main point/ending but you can't figure out how to get the story there, ya know?

I don't get how authors and script writers do it. But now I understand why it takes so long for a book to be published.

~ Amme


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